MS Dhoni by the numbers: 5 key stats from a formidable cricketing career
The stats and records that show why Dhoni will go down in history as one of the best wicket-keeping batsmen ever
Even while announcing his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, M.S. Dhoni did it his way. A swift Instagram post that no one saw coming—similar to many of his stumpings, where the batsman would be caught off guard and the bails dislodged in an instant.
Stumpings were, in fact, a key part of Dhoni’s legacy. No wonder he holds a record in international cricket for that. The 39-year-old also has the most number of matches played as a captain across all formats under his belt—an astonishing 332 times. As India’s 2011 World Cup-winning captain retires, here’s a look at 5 other key stats from a glittering career.
17,266 runs: He might not be anywhere near the top of the charts for overall runs scored, but Dhoni was still worth his weight in runs. He played 538 matches and scored 17,266 runs, in a career spanning 15 years. Of these, 10,773 came in ODIs. He stands ahead of batsmen like former Indian opener Virender Sehwag (17,253) and fellow wicket-keeping legend Adam Gilchrist (15,461) of Australia in this list.
829 dismissals: Dhoni was lethal in his primary role—as a wicket-keeper. His tally of 829 dismissals across ODIs, Tests and T20 internationals is third in the all-time list. It is bettered only by Gilchrist (905) and South Africa’s Mark Boucher (998).
359 sixes: It is hard to recall any other cricketer who could hit the ball further, or harder, than Dhoni. His sixes were emphatic and tremendous, to say the least. In a career where he made a habit of finishing matches off by clearing the boundary, Dhoni’s 359 sixes are fifth in the all-time list. He’s still in illustrious company, with only Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma and Brendon McCullum ahead of him.
195 stumpings: Dhoni stands well ahead of the two Sri Lankan greats, Kumar Sangakkara (139) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (139), with the most number of stumpings in a cricketing career. The man from Jharkhand revolutionised the wicket-keeper’s role with some stellar performances behind the stumps.
91 dismissals (T20Is): India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain was equally prolific behind the stumps in the game’s shortest format. He holds the record for most dismissals in T20 internationals with 91 in 98 matches. These include 57 catches and 34 stumpings.
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First Published:16 Aug 2020, 07:00 AM IST
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